ss3HONO0dOAuvaan ^ „ li^ THE BUSINESS or BEING A HOUSEWIFE A MANUAL TO PROMOTE HOUSEHOLD EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMY EDITED BY j, ^' JEAN PRESCOTTADAI^ f^**^ ' DOMESTIC SCIENCE DIREOOR * — ARMOUR f~° COMPANY CONTRIBUTING EDITORS MILDRED MADDOCKS DIRECTOR OF GOOD HOUSEKEEPING INSTITUTE JANET McKENZIE HILL EDITOR AMERICAN COOKERY LUCY G.ALLEN BOSTON SCHOOL OF COOKERY ANNA B. SCOTT LA DIES' HOM E JOURNAL MARTAW. BILLIARD BOSTON SCHOOL OF COOKERY AUCE DYNES FEULING LECTURER Copyright, 1917, Armour and Company K-Js^f^-^y The Business of Being a Housewifeewife'x^tVO^, THE preparation of food and the management of a home is the oldest business on earth. To-day the knowledge of housewifery has been systematized into an exact science, taught in colleges, expounded on the lecture platform, elaborated and popularized by means of books, magazines and newspaper pages. The business of Armour and Company is to gather the choice food prod- ucts of America, to prepare, to standardize them so quality can be guaranteed and recognized at a glance, and then to distribute them to the world. To do this in a manner that will insure the highest quality food to the consumer at lowest possible cost for the necessary handling and preparing is the ideal on which the Armour institution is founded. In this connection the Armour Department of Domestic Science, under the direction of Mrs. Jean Prescott Adams, is a most active aid. Mrs. Adams understands the housewives' needs; she also knows the vast range and vairiety of Armour food products, the high standard that governs their choice, the expert and sanitary conditions under which they are prepared. Much that has been accomplished in our laboratories and experimental kitchens we feel is of use to Ihe general public, and, therefore, in this little manual we are offering some condensed, practical ideas regarding food preparation and recipes, with tested methods of promoting household efficiency and economy not generally treated in books on cookery. Beginning with a full list of foods, arranged so that well-balanced menus can be easily selected for the various meals, the book follows on with much technicjil information. This includes foundation recipes, or the elementary principles on which many dishes of similar nature may be built, chart show- ing the correct distribution of foods in the kitchen, a scientific method of deep fat frying and a chart of meat cuts, with suggestions for properly cooking the cheaper and less popular portions to produce appetizing and wholesome results. There are also helpful ideas for arranging the kitchen, for testing tem- perature, suggestions for church suppers, picnics, and the ever-yawning school lunch box. There are condensed directions for serving meals both with and without a maid, a list of household utensils used in the practical kitchen and an outline for a household budget which enables the housewife to regulate household expenses. The distributing and spending of the family income is largely in the hands of the housewife; the responsibility for the health and well-being of the family is hers also, and we believe she will welcome what help it is within our power to give on these subjects. In this connection the questions of pure foods and Government Meat Inspection are of great importance. Arm6ur and Company believe in making all food products so that grade as well as purity is guaranteed by the label. Armour meats are prepared under strict Government Inspection and under conditions of sanitation approved of by the Federal Inspectors. It is obvious that meats so prepared are the kind the careful housewife should buy. In the compiling of this book our Domestic Science staff has had the valuable assistance of several food authorities of national reputation. ARMOUR^COMPANY 1 ^ SELECTIVE MENUS Beginning on page 4 are selective menus, arranged for f ' v^ breakfast, luncheon, and dinner. To form a reasonably balanced I \ meal, select one article from each "group" contained in the meal. I ^ Breakfast, for instance, has five groups, the fruit, the cereal, the » ^ bread, the main dish, and the beverage. ' Suggestions as to Selecting Breakfast Dishes ^-^^ (1) Cereals, as oatmeal and corn meal, with considerable fat in composition, ^ OJi are better adapted to cold than to hot weather. Also, to eat with them, • c^" select such foods as are deficient in fat ; i. e., choose rice, wheat or barley } cereals to eat with bacon, ham, sausage, chops or steak, and select oat- meal and corn meal when fish or eggs are the main dish of the breakfast. Either of these cereals eaten with cream or evaporated milk and some form of bread with butter and a sweet fruit, as bananas, dates and figs, furnish a satisfactory meal without other additions. (2) With bacon, ham, sausage, chops (lamb or pork), the cereal may be omit- ted and an acid fruit, cooked or uncooked, be provided. Potatoes are not a necessity if bread be supplied, but are a welcome addition to meat. (3) The beverage for breakfast is a matter of taste, though cocoa, milk, grape juice or water are the drinks most suitable for children. Points on Selecting DisheS for Dinner (1) A soup for dinner should be light in character, as consomme, broth, or bouillon, that the appetite be stimulated rather than satisfied. If the main dish at dinner be roast beef, let the flavor of some other meat than beef be predominant in the soup. (2) With a meat or fish dish serve one underground vegetable, as potatoes, tur- nips, beets, and one vegetable grown aboveground, as lettuce, cabbage, celery. (3) If the green vegetable is served as a salad, the simple French dressing of oil, acid, salt and pepper is preferable to a rich mayonnaise or a cooked dressing. Reserve these latter dressings for luncheon and supper when the salad serves as the main dish of the meal. (4) The acid in apples and pineapples aids in the digestion of bacon, ham, pork chops and roast pork ; cranberry sauce or fruit jellies harmonize with dishes of poultry, while mint sauce or apple mint jelly is appropriate with lamb, especially when roasted. The acid of lemon is appetizing with fish and shell fish and the flavor of tomatoes is almost equally desirable with any dish of meat, fish, heaps or paste ( macaroni, noodles). (5) Canned fruit, fruit cup, grape juice in gelatine dishes or with tapioca, grape juice sherbet and similar sweet dishes are appropriate after boiled, broiled or roasted meats, while mince pie or strawberry shortcake enriches a dinner in which fish, eggs or some left-over material is the main dish. Hints on Combinations for Supper or Luncheon (1) While any soup is a welcome prelude to supper or luncheon, these meals offer a most favorable opportunity for presenting mock turtle soup, oxtail soup, pea and bean soups, chowders and stews. Any one of these dishes is hearty enough to warrant its service as the main dish of the meal. (2) A lighter soup may be followed with baked beans and pork, cold meat, eggs in any one of a great variety of ways, fish in salad or crejuned on toast, or cooked vegetables in jellied beef extract. (3) Canned fruits and fruit dishes make less nutritious desserts than do mince pie, cake and custards; keep this in mind when making choice of the des- sert dish. If necessary let the dessert make up for any shortcomings in the earlier part of the meal. SELECTIVE MENUS BREAKFAST Fruit Group Bread, White Bread, Rye Coffee Cake Mainly Mineral Salts or Providing Com Cake (24) Bone-Building Material Com Cake, Hunter's (36) Doughnuts Apple Sauce Apples, Fresh (22) Griddle Cakes, Buckwheat, with Maple Apples, Baked, with Cream or Evaporated Milk* Syrup Griddle Cakes, Rice, with Maple Syrup Apples, Coddled, with Cream or Corn Meal, with Evaporated Milk* Griddle Cakes, Maple Bananas, Fresh . Syrup Griddle Cakes, Canned Corn Bananas, Saut6ed or Fried (36) Cakes,Wheat, withFruitSyrup Berries, Fresh in Season, with Griddle Evaporated Milk* (Whipped) Gems, Graham Mush, Fried, Corn Meal Berries,* Canned (56) Muffins, Corn Meal Cherries, Fresh Muffins, Graham Cherries,* Canned (24) Muffins, Whole-Wheat Dates with Cereal Muffins, Bran Figs with Cereal Pop-Overs, Graham Fruit Juices,* Grape Juice Rolls, Coffee Rolls, French Grapefruit with Grape Juice* (39) Rolls, Quick Yeast Jams* (56) Jellies* (56) Melons Marmalade Rolls, Toasted Rolls, Vienna Oranges Toast, White Bread (35) Toast, French, Cream or Milk Pineapple, Fresh Zwieback Pineapple,* Canned, Hawaiian Peaches, Fresh Main Dish Peaches,* Canned PArs, Fresh Pears,* Canned Supplies Protein Prunes, Stewed Tangerines Bacon,* Broiled, with Apple Fritters Cereal Group Bacon,* Broiled, with Fried Hominy Bacon,* Broiled, with Creamed Pota- Providing Carbohydrates toes Corn Flakes with Cream Bacon,* Broiled, with Fried Apples Corn Meal Mush with Cream Bacon,* Broiled, with Mashed Pota- Cracked Wheat with Cream toes Hominy* with Cream Bacon,* Broiled, with Pineapple Frit- Rice with Cream ters Rolled White Oats* with Cream Bacon,* Broiled, with Sweet Potatoes Shredded Wheat with Cream Bacon,* and Eggs* (11) with Armour's Veribest Evaporated Milk Bacon,* Liver Beef,* Brisket, Sliced, Sauteed is excellent to use in place of cream, Beefsteak, Broiled, Baked Potatoes or it can be diluted to the consistency of ordinary milk. (45) Chops, Pork, Mashed Potatoes Bread Group Chops, Lamb ( Broiled ) , Fried Potatoes Supplies Carbohydrates or Heat Codfish, Creamed Corned Beef,* Hash, Browned and Energy Dried Beef,* in Cream Biscuits, Hot, Baking Powder (22) Eggs, Boiled Biscuits, Raised Eggs, Stuffed with Devonshire Farm Bread, Graham